Recently, I surprised my staff with an unexpected activity! They never know what I’m going to have them do as an activity during any given meeting or training. Having a staff member defend a pendind decision using the opposite few point has been a standard practice. I think they have classified me as the creative type! This activity, which I thought was easy, was simply to have them complete a Passion/Mission statement.
Every new year comes with its own set of challenges and fresh faces who come into our lives and workplace. I have faith that each new person is sent to help us in some way with our newest challenges. However, I believe that we often get so caught up in the day-to-day personnel issues or the latest challenge that we often lose sight of our mission and where our passion really is! 
As we worked through the activity I noticed pretty quickly that some were challenged to go inside themselves to find what they were passionate about. In their statement many mentioned family and included a line about being about customer service. I asked, “Did that come from your heart or did you just write what you think I would want to hear?” They assured me that they thought about it a lot and it meant something to them. I closed this activity with saying that walking with passion and a mission from this day forward is my goal for them, however ultimately it’s their choice and whether they choose to look inside their heart for their mission.
I encourage anyone who reads my blog to sit down with their staff and have them discuss and potentially complete a passion statement. There is power in knowing what your staff is passionate about. If you find you or your staff is struggling to align a passion with what they do for a living, I encourage them and you move toward your passion! Life is too short to be doing something that you don’t love to do!
Best,
Aaron
